Edilaine C. Silva Gherardi-Donato
University of São Paulo, Brazil
Title: Mindfulness-based intervention for reducing stress, depression and anxiety in workers: Randomized trial
Biography
Biography: Edilaine C. Silva Gherardi-Donato
Abstract
Aim: Mindfulness-based practices have showing promising results for mental health and positive changes at workplace context. The present study evaluated an intervention of mindfulness-based practices in technical-administrative workers to improve mental health parameters: perceived stress, depression, anxiety, burnout and mindfulness. Methods: Sixty subjects participated; they were randomized to a group that received an intervention with mindfulness-based practices for eight weeks and to a group that received no intervention. The main outcome evaluated was perceived stress, through the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS14), and the secondary outcomes were depression by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), anxiety by Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), burnout by Maslach Burnout Inventory - general survey (MBI-GS), and mindfulness by Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-BR). Outcomes were assessed before (T0) and after the intervention (T1). Descriptive analysis, Pearson's Chisquare test and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare distributions of the variables between EG and CG groups. Mann-Whitney test was performed to evaluate intergroup changes between T0 and T1. Clinical trial registered UTN: U1111-1179- 7619. Results: The EG presented a reduction in the mean scores for perceived stress (p<0.001), depression (p<0.001) and anxiety (p=0.003), and increased the total mean score for mindfulness (p=0.012) and at the facet 3-observe: p=0.010 and facet 6-Do not react to internal experience: p=0.002, when compared to CG. The same postintervention effect was not observed for burnout at the total score (p=0.314) and its dimensions of the scale (emotional exhaustion: p=0.083; cynicism: p=0.736 and work efficacy: p=.486). Conclusion: The results showed that mindfulness program resulted in reduction of perceived stress, depression, anxiety and increased mindfulness, demonstrating the beneficial potential of mindfulness-based practices for a nonclinical population of workers.